In its report "X-ray and Endoscopy Medical Imaging Applications & Technology Trends", Yole Développement said it predicts that medical image sensor shipments will increase from 1.8 million units in 2012 to 4.2 million units in 2017.

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The solid-state medical image sensor is driven by two applications, X-ray imaging and endoscopy. X-ray image sensors now account for 93 percent of total medical image sensors market revenue due to the extremely expensive price of X-ray sensors, Yole specified.

"The medical image sensor market is characterized by a straight duality between X-ray imaging and endoscopy applications on price and volume," stated Benjamin Roussel, Technology & Market Analyst, Microfluidics & Medical Technologies at Yole Développement. "X-ray imaging is a very high-end market with a multitude of players, while endoscopy market is a high volume and low price point market with a limited number of players."

X-ray and endoscopy markets are moving fast, and emerging products like disposable endoscopes, camera pills and CMOS X-ray flat panels are likely to drive the growth of medical image sensors in terms of volume and revenue, and help new players to enter the market, Yole said.

At present, three technologies are being used in medical imaging: CCD, CMOS and amorphous silicon (a-Si). A new X-ray technology mixing CMOS circuits and advanced packaging technologies is now under development at X-ray imaging companies such as Philips or Siemens. Yole said it predicts that technology, named Single Photon Counting, will enter the market by 2017 and will be the next milestone of X-ray medical diagnostic.